For more than 20 years, Mona Wood-Patterson and Charles Ford led an award-winning theater troupe at Durango High School. One show after another wowed local audiences.
But what became of all those talented young people, literally hundreds of students, who worked together both on stage and behind the scenes to bring dramas, musicals and experimental theater to life?
“There are individuals who are succeeding as parents, individuals in the military, the airline and automotive industries, the medical field, finance, architecture, engineering,” Wood-Patterson said in a recent interview, adding she’s proud of all of them.
“Some are chefs, some are photographers, some are pastors, some are world-travelers. I count amongst my former theater students a shoe designer, a circus performer, several comediennes and comedians, a window dresser, stars in commercials, a stunt man, a pole dancer and an award-winning drag queen.”
Following their dream
Some students have gone for the brass ring of a career in theater or film. While none is a marquee name, several are finding ways to make a living or at least get their foot in the door.
“Theater is an art form that relies heavily on making good impressions, whether it is before people behind a casting desk or drawing an audience into your performance,” said Austin Hohnke, DHS Class of 2007, who is finishing a six-week run in “Legally Blonde” in St. Louis before heading back to New York City, where he lives. “Mona has high standards, so it was built into my system to come into rehearsal off book (having the lines memorized) and with the ability to give and take director’s notes. I have been to many auditions where a casting director has said, ‘Thanks for being off book, we don’t see that often,’ or ‘I really like the choices you brought in.’”
Hohnke, whom locals may recall from his roles as Gaston in “Beauty and the Beast” and the genie in “Aladdin,” has now completed the requirements to become a member of the Actors’ Equity Association. Many auditions are Equity-only, so having the card increases his job possibilities.
“Does it go without struggles?” he said when asked about his career choice. “Absolutely not. Is there unsteadiness in the amount of work that I get? Of course. This is not a job for the faint of heart. The competition is fierce.”
Karina Wolfe, Class of 2002, who played Titania in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” while also working as a master carpenter backstage at DHS, is now living in Los Angeles after spending three years in San Francisco working in films and on stage. She recently joined a theater company called The Vagrancy, and just closed a show called “White Hot” that won several awards at The Hollywood Fringe Fest.
“I’ve also done a bunch of really special film projects,” she said, “a mix of indies and student films and have gotten to play everything from demented, crazy wives to a female Marine in Afghanistan. No big surprise: I wait tables to support it all.”
Kristi Horvath, who graduated from DHS in 2004, is the manager of Duke University’s Box Office & Information Desk, managing ticketing and front-of-house operations for all the performing arts events at several different venues on campus. She went to work in environmental advocacy after graduating from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
“What I discovered, however, was that I desperately missed working with artistic, creative people toward the common goal of creating theater,” she said. “I must admit, sometimes I still struggle with the enormous time commitment that working in the arts involves. But performing arts always provide something new, something different and something exciting.”
Skills to succeed
Whatever field Wood-Patterson’s and Ford’s students chose, many credit their mentors for teaching them important life lessons.
“I became a woman I could be proud of under Charles’ and Mona’s guidance,” said Sabrina Motta, who graduated from DHS in 1996. “They helped teach me self-worth and confidence, two things I have carried into adulthood.”
Motta, who is currently finishing a registered nursing degree at Regis College in Denver, has taught English in Italy, worked as a paramedic/firefighter and continues to keep her hand in theater work as a scenic painter.
“Managing an emergency scene and managing a stage have some similarities,” she said, “and I think stage managing gave me valuable experience working and managing people as well as confidence as a leader.”
Hannah Turner, Class of 2008, is beginning her second year at veterinary school at Colorado State University after graduating with honors from the Colorado School of Mines with a degree in biochemical and chemical engineering.
“The lessons I learned from W-P and Ford have been invaluable,” she said. “I learned how to get people to work together, get stuff done under a deadline and learned how to work with a wide range of personality types. Perhaps the most important thing I learned is that I can do anything I want as long as I work hard enough at it.”
A dream fulfilled
“My hopes and dreams for all of my students was, and still is, that they would be happy, productive citizens,” Wood-Patterson said. “I always hoped that their experience in the theater gave them a place to belong during the turbulent years of high school – a safe place where they could take risks and tap into creativity they might not have known they had.”
She and Ford continue to be active in theater with their company Merely Players, often hiring former students. They dedicate one show a year to working with young people.
“Mona is a teacher who consistently brought out the best in me and encouraged us all to try different things and see what works best,” Hohnke said. “More importantly, I know that if I ever decide to stray from theater, I am confident that I will find a job in whatever path I decide to pursue because of Mona’s instilled morals and expectations.”
abutler@durangoherald.com
To learn more
Mona Wood-Patterson and Charles Wood continue to work in the theater as the leaders of Durango-based Merely Players. They often hire former students to return to work with them on projects, as they did in June for “39 Steps.”
To learn more about their company and upcoming productions, which include “The Wizard of Oz” and “Maple and Vine,” visit http://merelyplayers.us.
